He was having a smoke when he heard gunshots and realized he’d been hit

He’d been having a smoke outside a Tacoma convenience store when he heard gunshots and realized he’d been hit.

A bullet struck the man’s left leg, just above his knee.

Police were called Jan. 5 to the convenience store in the 8200 block of Pacific Avenue but both shooters had already fled.

Witnesses reported seeing two men in the same car get into an argument as the driver filled up the tank.

One of the men allegedly got out of the car.

“The rear passenger went behind a parked truck near the AM/PM, pulled out a pistol and began to fire multiple rounds at the car he had just been inside which was now pulling forward back towards the gas pumps,” according to court documents.

The front passenger leaned out of the window and fired back.

Police found multiple shell casings in the parking lot and damage to a parked car and the convenience store.

They were able to identify one of the alleged shooters and arrested him at his apartment.

When officers arrived, the 19-year-old almost immediately said “I did it,” records show.

He told police he started shooting because the other man fired first.

On Wednesday, the man pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault and was ordered held on $200,000 bail.

This story was originally published January 11, 2018 at 9:19 AM with the headline "He was having a smoke when he heard gunshots and realized he’d been hit."